It was warm last night. Maybe Maine will finally have a day or two of summer. Blue was up and made me coffee. Her very special latte concoction that is thick and creamy. I packed up my gear and then got out my daypack for slackpacking. Blue will drop off my pack about 8 miles north. This way I can start out the morning with just my snacks and essentials. What a good friend I have indeed.

I was on trail close to 7am and headed towards Nahmakanta Lake. What a beautiful morning stroll I had. I’m going to say that this was one of the best days hiking in Maine. About a half mile or so, I arrived at the lake. It was crystal clear with huge trees, pines and maples. The trees were well over 100 feet tall and so healthy. I’m going to guess that this is virgin forest and has not been logged, at least not in the area I was hiking. The lake was pristine and reminded me of Lake Tahoe, very close to where I live in California. I followed along the lake for quite sometime before it started climbing.

Nasuntabunt Mountain is a moderate climb that leads you through the forest, granite boulders and many streams. The MATC have built great staircases in this area. Rather than bouldering or scrambling, they actually place and chisel out granite steps on majority of the climbs. A 200 foot side trail leads to a rock outcrop on Nesuntabunt Mountain’s north peak. The overlook provides a fine view down to Nahmakanta Lake, and a stunning view of Katahdin, which was encased in clouds. At this point, you are only 16 miles from Katahdin, although the AT takes about 35 miles to get there. It really does appear much closer than it actually is.

I met Kermit, a 75 yo who is thru-hiking with Kermit the Frog. He started in Georgia last January and says he hikes 6-8 miles a day. Way to go Kermit, you are almost there!

As I was heading to the lookout at Nasuntabunt Mountain, Toto showed up. He left Shaws three days after me and has already caught me. He’s a young kid, wearing Crocs and has a bum ankle. Imagine if he was 100%, he’d be at Katahdin weeks ago! We sat and had lunch together and hiked most the afternoon. He stayed at the Shelter with Juice and Wedding Walker last night, so Im thinking they should be right behind me.

I picked up my pack at the stream and carried on towards camp. The trail was pretty darn nice today until the last mile. I thought the mud was done for, but the Sobo’s warned me that I’d be hiking in it most of the way to Katahdin. We’ll at least I had a day of reprieve. Some things just don’t last forever!

I arrived at camp and was greeted by a 10 yo boy who also is a thru-hiker. Him and his sister were swimming in the lake until they realized they had leaches all over themselves! Oh my gosh, that would freak me out. No thank you. I will not be going for a swim today. As I was scoping out a campsite, Juice comes walking in. Yeah, reunited again. I’d been in contact with Wedding Walker and it appears that we will all be summiting Mt. Katahdin on Thursday! We all camped together and made plans for the next three days.

I’m so happy that I’ll be with some fellow hikers when I finish this leg of the hike. There is something special to share it with others, like Blue and the guys who took me under their wing when Blue left the trail. The plan is to do shorter miles Tuesday and Wednesday so we will be ready to climb on Thursday. Super great plan.

As I reflect on this past week, I realize how much I have missed my hiking partner Blue. There is something endearing with having a friend to share this journey with, to laugh and cry over the pain and suffering we share, and to have someone to talk with at the end of the day. Last week when I left Shaws Hostel, Wedding Walker and Juice adopted me. They made sure I wasn’t alone in the wilderness, we helped each other and watched out for one another with the ridiculous river crossings, and we had someone to commiserate over the trail conditions, weather and wet clothes. It’s so much better doing this with others! I’m grateful that, even in the end with less than 100 miles to go, that the Lord found me friends to hike with. That’s pretty darn amazing. Thank you Lord for giving me solitude with you but also allowing me to have companionship with others. We are truly, better together.